Sunday, 16 September 2012

PREGNANCY AND ALCOHOL

PREGNANCY AND ALCOHOL

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol passes
through the blood stream, crosses the placenta and enters the baby’s blood
stream. Therefore it is extremely important that you monitor your intake
especially during preconception and early pregnancy as the alcohol can disrupt the
baby’s normal development in the womb. It can also cause problems with the baby’s
health at birth and make the baby susceptible to illnesses in infancy,
childhood, adolescence and adult life. It may also cause learning difficulties.

If a woman drinks heavily throughout her pregnancy this
may cause the baby to suffer from Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome which causes permanent damage to the central nervous
system. It also causes:

·Miscarriage

·stillbirth

·poor growth when in the womb

·low academic achievement

·behavioural problems and

·psychiatric problems

This is usually when 6 or more units of alcohol are consumed
daily. If a woman consumes 2 units per day then the baby may suffer from a
milder form of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder.
If the woman reduces her consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy to a safe
level, then the symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder can be reversed
unlike those symptoms caused in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

So what are the safe levels of alcohol
consumption during pregnancy?

Experts are still unsure exactly how much alcohol is safe
to drink during pregnancy. Based on the evidence to date , The Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) recommends that the only way to be
absolutely certain that your baby is not harmed by alcohol is not to drink at
all during pregnancy or while you are trying to conceive.

If you do choose to drink during pregnancy you should not
drink more than one or two units and not more than once or twice a week and
avoid binge drinking. (more than five units of alcohol on any one occasion). Make
sure your glasses aren’t full and use a smaller glass with soft drinks in
between.

Guidance from the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) state that women should not drink at all in the
first 3 months of pregnancy and ideally should remain alcohol free until after
the birth. Bearing in mind that alcohol should be kept to a minimum if breastfeeding!

If you do drink heavily, it is important to seek advice
from your midwife or GP as stopping suddenly may cause you to experience
symptoms of withdrawal such as delirium tremens (DT’s). You will therefore receive
help to manage any side effects.

Please feel free to ask any
questions relating to this any or any of my previous blogs. You can do this by
leaving a comment on this blog or contacting me through my " confidential
1 to 1 live web chat" at http://www.justbambinos.co.uk/

I will be available for online midwifery advice chats most evenings from 8pm
(GMT) so click on the icon on the home page to access the web chat and 'Ask the
Midwife'.
If you enjoy what you read on these blogs please like our facebook page
and follow us on Twitter or email us at justbambinos@gmail.com